Chapter 25 - Fair Rumiko, Maid of the Highland Lakes

When I see the approach of the strange chariot, I move further out into the water. I have no reason to be aggressive and they haven't harmed anything yet. There are plenty of floating plants to conceal my presence. They’ll never know that I am here.

The self-driving chariot stops at the shoreline. At first, I’m glad that it stopped moving around, because it was loud and noisy. In fact, I can see where it left a trail of dust and smoke in its wake. On the other hand, this is MY lake! I don’t want it here! I want nothing to do with either chariots or the riders inside.

My best guess is that this group had come to take a drink. That is acceptable. I give out my waters freely. But when a group of three humans step out, their eyes focus on the mountains beyond. Surely they don’t mean to cross my lake? The chariot doesn’t look like it could float. They will need a boat.

The smallest of the humans wears heavy armor with extensive ornamentation. He also has a cape matching that of the chariot, so that means he must be the owner. I note this fact in case I need to lodge a complaint. The taller ones are also both males. One is wearing light armor and has a sword at his belt. The one remaining is unarmed and unarmored, wearing the robes of a scholar.

“This is high enough, but is there enough water?” asks the small one.

“We don’t need all that much,” says the man in robes.

The other one, I assume must be a guard. He says nothing, instead looking around for threats. There is a moment when our eyes meet, but it is only an illusion. I am hidden beneath the leaves. He continues his vigilance without calling out a warning.

“How deep do you think this pond is?” the small one asks.

Pond? Did he just call my lake a pond? I can't help but blow some bubbles in frustration.

“We won’t know the answer to that until we dig it out,” answers the scholar.

Dig it out? What? Just what is going on here?

“All right. Let’s get started then. Truck-chan, are you ready?”

When the chariot responds with flashing lights, I am forced to revise my estimation of it. This must be some sort of strange golem. The three humans appear nearly helpless before my might, but I don’t want to tangle with a golem! They’re awfully hard to drown!

“Great! Truck-chan, you’re the best! Now, uhh… what do we do?”

The scholar points down the slope from my hillside lakes to a point lower on the mountainside. “We’ll need to dig a channel first before we release the waters.”

Release the waters? I’ve heard enough! These people are dangerous!

I clearly need to do something, but there’s one small problem. Like any maid of the waters, I don’t go swimming with my clothes on! My outfit is stashed in a bush not far from their feet.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

But how to get them without them seeing me?

Uh, oh… that swordsman is looking right at me again! Can he see me after all?

I duck down deeper into the water, but it’s too late. He definitely reacted this time!

Oh, no! Now he’s looking in the bushes, “Prince Henry! Look at this!”

“That’s a maid outfit? Edward? What’s it doing out here?”

“There’s a mermaid out there in the water. I caught a glimpse of her hair.” He points toward my position.

“A mermaid? Wow!”

The gig is up, so I raise my head back above the water. Besides, I can’t bear to be mislabeled so badly. “I am NOT a mermaid!”

The three look at each other, then the Prince responds, “You’re a woman swimming in the water. Your maid outfit is right here. Are you trying to trick us?”

The other two men nod with his assessment. There’s even a flash of lights from the golem’s eyes that I interpret as another agreement. I suppose I’ll have to teach them.

“The word mermaid is a combination of the words ‘meer’ and ‘maid’. However, the first word ‘meer’ means sea or ocean. In other words, SALT water! But, this is clearly a lake! FRESH water!”

“Uhh…” The three reexamine my maid outfit. It’s the typical black with white trim and lots of lace. The only thing unusual about it is the fish-tail dress. The scholar is the first to reply, “So… you’re a woman swimming in a lake that has a mermaid dress?”

I choke out a laugh. “Now you think I’m human? Are you trying to insult me?”

“Oh! You’re a … freshwater mermaid? Lakemaid? Fishmaid?”

“FISHMAID? I’m not a maid at all! I’m a naiad!”

“Then why do you have a maid outfit? And why does it have a fish-tail design?”

“Err… I have very good reasons for that.”

The three still look awfully suspicious, so I let loose with my favorite rant, “There’s only so many water spirits and ZERO male naiads! Do you have any idea how hard it is to attract a merman when you have LEGS? Just watch, my species will soon be extinct!”

“What about kappas?” Says the swordsman.

“Kappas? Are you kidding? Have you ever tried dating a kappa? They don’t even bother with a kiss. All they care about is getting your shirikodama!”

“Let’s stick to safe topics!” The scholar claps his hands over the prince’s ears.

“Well it’s the truth!”

“I see.” The scholar nods along with my explanation. In fact, he’s pulled out a book to take notes. Only the golem seems to understand my pain. She’s squirting water out onto her own carapace and then wiping it off again with tiny arms that spring forth.

The swordsman still appears to be lost. “I don’t get it. How does this outfit work? It’s obviously not a real tail! It’s just a dress!”

As I suck in breath to give him a full explanation, the scholar pats him on the shoulder. “It’s simple! She just dips the end of her dress into the water while she’s sitting out on the beach. That way, the mermen will see what they want to see. Right?”

When he looks back at me, I realize what I’ve been doing wrong all these years. His method might have actually worked! Of course, I don’t want HIM to know that. “I see you know your stuff. You must be a scholar? That’s exactly right!”

“It worked then? Where’s the lucky guy?”

“Uhh… he lives on the other side of the ocean.”

“Oh, a long-distance relationship? You must need a ship just to have a relations!” He chuckles at his annoying joke.

“Never mind that! What are you doing here? This is MY lake!”

“Oh… hmm…” The three look at each other, none of them willing to meet my eyes.

“I heard what you were saying! You’re going to dig a canal and drain the water!”

“There’s a very good reason for that…”

“I’ll die! I’m the spirit of this lake! Are you going to kill me?”

Now the three men look back at the golem, as if it has the final say in the matter. “Truck-chan? What do you think?” asks the prince.

She blinks her main lights once. The prince interprets for me. “That’s a yes? As in… we’re going to kill her? Truck-chan?”

She blinks her lights again, and then the prince shrugs at me. “I guess so. That’s too bad. You seemed like a nice mermaid ... err ... maid.”